A Few Things To Consider When Selling Real                                      Estate

Many people sell real estate at some point in their lives and often more than once. Even though it is common to sell real estate few people are educated sellers. I have sold real estate many times and learn from each sale. I hope some of the things I have learned, which I will share, will help you with your sale. 

The most common form of selling real estate is trying to get a cash sale. This is where you will receive the entire amount of money for your real estate at the closing. This is probably the ideal way for most sellers. At times this may not be an option. For instance, if the value of your property has gone down or for any reason, you are unable to sell your property for the price that you need to get. There are other great options available such as selling via land contract.  

My favorite way to sell a house is via land contracts. You may have heard of land contracts being called "seller financing" or "rent to own" or something along those lines as well. If you need the full amount upfront this is not an option for you. If you are able to make a down payment and finance the house for your buyer you will usually end up making a lot more money in the long run. Many times you are able to sell your real estate for a higher price and you will also be able to earn interest on the money that is owed to you. If you sell via land contract many times the taxes, insurance and repairs will all be the responsibility of the buyer. You will also have the house as well as any money that has been paid as security in case the buyer breaches the land contract for any reason. If you are still unable to sell your real estate for your desired amount you may want to try a third option of renting. 

Like most markets, the real estate market has its ups and downs. If you get caught, like so many people around 2009, where you need to get more money out of your house than it is worth at the movement you may need to consider renting it out. Renting isn't hard and the more you do it the easier it gets. If you have problems starting off lawyers, realtors, and property management businesses will be glad to assist you with any of your needs. If you are able to rent your home for a while you may be able to hold off taking a loss on the property.  Renting allows you to hold your property and wait for the market to go back up and hopefully even make some money on it in the meantime. Even if you break even at the end of the year you will probably still come out ahead. If you have tenants paying your mortgage it may not seem like you're making any money but some of that money is actually going toward your principal. Also, renting has tax benefits that may be overlooked and you may want to talk to an accountant for some more helpful advice with that.  

Benefit From Staging A Home

To increase the chance of actually selling a home you need to think about different ways you can make a home look appealing. Staging a home is one of the most overlooked ways you can interest buyers to make an offer. When you present a property you want it to look like the type of home a family or couple would want to move into. Read this article for some tips on how to stage a home to catch the interest of potential buyers.

Before you decide to add furniture and items to stage a home clean it out first. Repaint any rooms that have faded paint and redo floors that have been chipped. Take a tour of the interior of your home and fix anything that is not working properly or that does not look presentable. Homebuyers thoroughly look through a home to determine whether or not it is a place they want to live. Remember, this could be a place they are going to commit a lot of years to live in so they want the home that is in the best shape possible. Closely inspect your home and change anything you feel doesn't look presentable.

If you have already moved out of the home then you are going to want to fill it with furniture. Either place some of your old furniture back in the home or borrow some from neighbors and friends. You can add a combination of the two and mix furniture together. Just as long as you make the home look like it's being lived in it will help increase your chances of selling. This is called staging a home to look presentable during an open house. When you do not have access to furniture consider calling a local furniture store. Work out a deal where you can present their furniture in a home you are trying to sell. You can let them know this is free advertising and that you can hand out business cards or flyers to people that are interested in the furniture.

The inside and outside of a home must both be staged. Clean up the landscape of a home to make it look appealing to buyers. Take advantage of any patios or decks. Add a grill and lounge area if possible to give people an idea of what it would be like to experience the backyard during those warm summer days and nights. A lot of buyers look to have a home that has a promising backyard.

Staging a home is part of the selling process. Empty rooms make a house look dead. Do what will help improve your chances of selling a home and give people an idea of what the home would look like with furniture. The biggest mistake people make is neglecting to take the time to think about what will appeal to buyers. Do not forget to take pictures of the home when it is staged so that you can upload them online and on the MLS to attract buyers.

As you look to sell your home remember that there is more than one option. The beauty of the real estate is that you have so many options to be able to make it work for you. Don't limit yourself or automatically take less than you hope for. If you are creative and do your due diligence you will be a lot better off in the long run.